Electric rail-bond



(No Model.) -W WIGCTIN.

Y ELECTRIC RAIL BQND. No. 551,021. Patented 1190.1051895.

Nirnn STATES f ATENT j Fries.

ELECTRIC RAIL-BOND.

SPECIFICATION forming partLof Letters Patent No. 551,021, dated December 10, 1895. Application filed May 22, 1895,. Serial No. 550,189. (No niodel.)

A Bonds; and I do hereby declare that the folthe same enlarged scale.

lowing is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this speciiication, in which- Figure l represents my said improved railvbond applied to two sections of rail at each side of the abutting ends or joint thereof, as in practice. Fig. 2 represents upon an enlarged scale a transverse section through the rail-flange and my improved bond device for securing the end of the copper connectingrod in position in said rail with the parts fitted in said rail-flange ready to be driven into position, as will be hereinafter more fully described. The following iigures are also upon Fig. 3 represents a similar view to that shownA in Fig. 2, with the parts driven into position to complete the bond at one end oftheaforesaid copper connecting-rod. Fig. et represents detached side views of the two collars or sleeves employed in making my improved bond, the construction and application of whichwill be hereinafter explained; and Fig. 5 shows a modification in the construction hereinafter described.

The object of my invention is to produce a rail-b ond for electric-railroad rails which shall be simple in construction, easily applied, and whereby a perfect bond or contact between the connecting-rod and rail-flange may be obtained at a nominal expense.

It consists in combining with the ends of said connecting-rod and rail-flange an outer sleeve or collar adapted to -fit in the rail-flange opening, and which is inserted from the outside toward the inside of the rail or in the direction toward the connecting or bond rod, and provided with an annular outwardly-projecting flange or-rim at one end adapted to bear against the rail-flange, and also having a funnel-shaped longitudinal opening converging in the direction toward said body of the connecting-rod, and an inner sleeve or collar adapted to fit over the end of the connecting-rod and made conical-shaped upon the outside to correspond with and t into the of railroad-rail with their ends abutting, as

is indicated by the line C.

- D indicates the usual copper connectingrod, whose ends are connected to the railange A/ or other portions of the rails by means of the bond device E. Said device consists of the outer sleeve or collar E andthe inner sleeve or collar E2, previously alluded to. The sleeve or collar E' is made of the same outside transverse diameter as the diameter of the opening in the rail-flange A and cylindrical in shape, while its longitudinal opening is funnel-shaped-that is, larger at one end than the other-with its smallest or converging end toward the body of the connecting-rod. It is also provided at its outer end with the annular transverse flange or rim E3, which is adapted to bear against the rail-flange when iitted thereimas is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 of the drawings, the purpose thereof being to hold said sleeve or collar E against longitudinal movement in the operation of driving the inner sleeve or collar 12 into the same, as hereinafter described. Said inner sleeve or collar is made about the same length as the outer one, with its longitudinal opening or bore of cylindrical shape to lit the end of the connecting-rod and cone-shaped upon the outside corresponding to the shape of the funnelshaped opening in the outer sleeve ory collar E and a trille large, so 4that a very tight fit may be obtained by driving it into said outer sleeve or collar. Both sleeves or collars, it will be understood, are in practice made of copper or other suitable electric conducting material, preferably copper.

In making the bond the outer sleeves or collars E E are first fitted into the rail-'flc nge openings with their annular flanges E3 against the sides of said rail-flange, as is indicated in the drawings. The ends of the connectingrod D (which have previously been bent, as

IOO

required) are next inserted through said outer sleeves or collars and the inner sleeves or collars E2 E2, fitted thereon. Said ends, With said sleeves or collars thereon, are then drawn back to bring the outer cone-shaped sides of the inner sleeves or collars into the funnelshaped openings of the outer sleeves or collars until they come in contact and iit therein. By now taking a hammer and striking the ends of the connecting-rods and inner sleeves or collars together said inner sleeves or collars are driven tight into the outer sleeves or collars, as is indicated in Fig. 3, making very close joints between the rail-flange, sleeves or collars, and connecting-rod, as will be obviously seen, the bonds of the inner sides of the outer sleeves or collars and of the outer sides of the inner sleeves or collars causing a very tight connection by the aforesaid driving operation, in fact, in practice the joints being so perfect as to be hardly perceptible to the naked eye when the cross-section is cut through the aforesaid parts after having been thus united.

The outer sleeves or collars are preferablyT made a little longer than the thickness of the rail-flange, so as to project a shortdistance beyond the face of said rail-flange, is shown in Figs. 2 and Therefore, when the inner sleeve or collar is driven in', as previously described, said projecting ends of the outer sleeves or collars are forced and bent outward a little, as is indicated at El in Fig. 3, and serve to hold said sleeves or collars very se curely in the rail-iiange.

As Will be apparent7 my improved rail-bond is instantly available for any length of bond wire or rod by simply cutting said rod or Wire to the desired length. Practically no machine-Work is required in its construction, aside from cutting the said Wire or rod to the desired length, and the bond may be easily and expeditiously applied to the rail. It may also be conveniently packed for transportation.

I am aware that numerous rail-bonds of a similar nature have been patented and applied to use, and I therefore limit my invention to the specific construction and arrangement of parts herein set forth,and pointed out in the claims.

I prefer in practice to make the bond collars or sleeves E E2 of round shape in crosssection; but as the saine principle may be carried out by the employment of other shapes in cross-section I do not limit myself thereto. In Fig. 5 I have shown the same of square form in cross-section, the rail-opening and rod conforming thereto.

Vhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. An electric rail-bond comprising abond- Wire or rod and four loose sleeves or collars, tivo at each end thereof, each set of said sleeves or collars consisting of an outer sleeve or collar having a tapered hole converging in the direction toward the body of the bond- Wre or rod and an outwardly projecting, an nular `flange or rim at the opposite end from said bond-Wire or rod, adapted to iit against the raildiange when the sleeve or collar is iitted in the opening in said rail-flange, and an inner sleeve or collar having a straight opening adapted to iit the end of the bond-wire or rod, and made taper-shaped upon the outside corresponding to and iitting in the tapered opening of the outer sleeve or collar, with the transverse outside diameter of the inner sleeve or collar, a trifle larger than the opening in the outer sleeve or collar, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. In an electric rail-bond,the combination, with the supporting ra il, having suitable aper tures formed therein, of the outer sleeves or collars, shaped upon the outside, to fit said apertures in the rails With taper-shaped holes converging in the direction toward the bond- Wire or rod, and provided with the annular, laterally projecting end flanges or rims, adapted to fit against the side of the rail when fitted in the aforesaid apertures; the inner sleeves or collars, having straight openings and fitting over the ends of the bond-Wire or rod also made tapering upon the outside, to correspond with and iit into the tapered openings of the outer sleeves or collars, and made a triiie larger than said tapered openings, and the connecting rod or Wire Whose ends iit in the aforesaid inner sleeves or collars, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

VILLIAM II. YVIGGIN. lVitnesses A.. A. BARKER, O. F. WEssoN. 

